SING WITH ME
CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, THEY SAY!!!
WELCOME TO MEL'S GUIDE
NYC IN 48 HOURS
(With very little sleep)
THE FLIGHT:
Nothing beats a Red Eye flight on a Friday evening, especially if you don't want to sacrifice precious weekend tourist hours.
BONUS - You are pretty much guaranteed very little or no sleep. Starting the weekend deprived of a good snooze is really living Frankie's dream.
AIRPORT ARRIVAL:
To get more tourist bang for your buck - look at flying into Newark Airport, New Jersey. Newark airport is actually 1.9 miles closer to Times Square than JFK airport.
BONUS: If you are a penny pincher traveller who is into quantity not quality - you can tick a whole State off your 'To Do List'.
ACCOMMODATION:
New York accommodation is EXPENSIVE!!.
Always good to have friends scattered in different cities around the world.
Many thanks to Elizabeth for allowing us to crash at her "pad" in Weehawken, New Jersey.
Elle's apartment building on Boulevard East, sits alongside the Hudson River, providing a "magnificent" view of the NYC landscape.
Those open minded travellers on a budget, without friends in NYC can make new friends by staying on a stranger's couch, c/o - Couchsurfing.com
The non profit organization's motto - "Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time"
"CouchSurfing isn't about the furniture- it's not just about finding free accommodations around the world- it's about participating in creating a better world. We strive to make a better world by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world! " - FAQ couchsurfing.com
TOURIST ACTIVITIES:
For my first 48 hour visit to New York City it was all about sight seeing.
No Shopping Allowed - Simply No TimeTo save time and see lots, we purchased our tickets for the Big Red Bus.
Great
value to see all the sights, 48 hours of Hopping on - Hopping Off.One Negative X - Tip Expectations
You pay a decent amount for your bus ticket, that entitles you to hop on and off to your heart's content.
However, each time that you jump on a new bus, the new guide expects a couple of dollars for a tip.
They continuously mention it as they point out scenic sights, and have no fear in making their opinion known if you leave without a contribution to their tip jar.
TIP.... The word originates from the 16th century verb tip, which meant "to give unexpectedly"
Nothing Unexpectant about tipping in NYC - Do or Get Abused!!
Standard sights you get to see as part of the tour include: Times Square, Lower Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, East Village, SoHo, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Harlem, United Nations Building, Central Park, Madison Square Gardens, Brooklyn.
We encountered our own fun along the way - and stopped to enjoy the the acts of some fine buskers and reliving our youth, gaining a front row position to watch a performance in F.A.O Scwarz Toy Store recreating the famous piano scene from Tom Hanks movie - BIG.
FINE DINING:
When you are culinary snobs like ourselves, there is only one meal to enjoy in New York City.
ENTERTAINMENT:
There's no excuse for not having an evening activity scheduled in New York City, every 2nd person in Times Square is trying to sell you tickets to Broadway, Comedy Clubs or Girly Shows. What ever is your 'thing' - it can be found in NYC.
So stay out for the night - have a few drinks and remember don't go to sleep - this city never sleeps.
- One too many cocktails, on a sleep deprived night out should get you in the mood - or was that just me!!
- HA! Comedy Club should keep you cracking a smile and a chuckle for a few hours,
- Continue the night in a cheesy Piano bar to keep you dancing to the wee hours.
- Darren getting hit on by a Cougar (his descriptive term - Not mine).
Urban Dictionary's (censored) definition:
1. Cougar
An older woman who frequents clubs in order to score with a much younger man. The cougar can be anyone from an overly surgically altered wind tunnel victim, to an absolute sad and bloated old horn-meister, to a real hottie.
- The Piano Man played our Bridal Waltz song - American Hero "Believe it Or Not" - Hello Miss Cougar, may I have my husband back for this dance please?
The sweet words whispered into my ears in the early hours went along the lines of:
"Oh you're going to be a mess tomorrow".
Yes I did sneek in a couple of hours of sleepy time - I hoped Frankie wasn't looking down
More sight seeing the next day and my fleeting visit to New York City was nearly over.
What did I think?
It was fun to experience that sense of Deja Vu, as you have seen so many of sights in the movies and television shows. Two days (one being a tad blurry) is definitely not enough, shopping is definitely a necessity.
Q. Has my New York experience inspired me to change my name?
A. No!!!
Explanation: Darren's ex neighbor in Newport was so obsessed with New York that he officially changed his surname to Manhattan - Mr Manhattan.
With my name intact it was time for me to say Good Bye to New York and Good Bye to my Hubby.
Darren stayed the week for work, with Todd - All Work & No Play.
Darren, Todd and Christine enjoying Lobster in the HamptonsDarren enjoyed a visit to the Hampton's with our Desolation Sound Companions (see previous post).
Let us not overlook Darren's first Policeman encounter - The legit right hand turn on a red light isn't so legal over the East.
No fear:
That's a whole nother story....
As Gotham City is known to be architecturally modeled after New York City.
Tune in for "LA Story" this time next week.
Let us not overlook Darren's first Policeman encounter - The legit right hand turn on a red light isn't so legal over the East.
No fear:
- Slap on the 'Ocker' Aussie accent.
- Throw in a "Mate" and you will be on your way in no time at all.
- Chuck in a "Crikey" and the friendly policeman will even give directions to your next destination.
That's a whole nother story....
As Gotham City is known to be architecturally modeled after New York City.
Tune in for "LA Story" this time next week.
Same Bat Time
Same Bat Channel
Same Bat Channel
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The Slightly Batty
Mel
The Slightly Batty
Mel
